Canopy assemblies



April 29, 1969 J. T. MATHEWS 3,441,038

CANOPY AS SEMBLIES Filed Aug. 17, 1967 J? I JAMES Tamas MATHEWS United States Patent 3,441,038 CANOPY ASSEMBLIES James Travis Mathews, P.0. Box 398, Hazen, Ark. 72064 Filed Aug. 17, 1967, Ser. No. 661,285 Int. Cl. E04f 10/00; A45b 11/00, 23/00 US. Cl. 1355 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A canopy assembly comprising a concavo-convex cover member having an eccentrically and transversely disposed concavo-convex handle member selectively attachable thereto in erected and in collapsed positions respectively, wherein the concave sides of the respective members are substantial continua-tions and disposed .at an obtuse angle to thereby provide complementary vertical and lateral concave head space when the assembly is in erected position, and wherein said members are disposed in substantially parallel coextensive relationship when in collapsed position.

This invention relates to umbrellas and more especially to canopies provided withcollapsible eccentrically attachable handles which are adapted to be quickly and easily converted from erected to collapsed positions and vice versa.

Although adapted for general use during various conditions and occasions, the invention has been found especially suitable as protection against unfavorable weather conditions at congested and crowded outdoor events such as fairs and athletic contests. When employed under such circumstances, the size of the canopy must be relatively small so as to reduce to a minimum the possibility of collision with others and the obstruction of spectators vision. Moreover, where the canopy is supported by an eccentrically disposed handle the size must be sutficiently small to permit the user to readily control its position.

Heretofore, numerous types of umbrellas with eccentric handles have been devised. (see, for example, Patents Nos. 451,570, 1,692,461, and 2,827,909), but so far as applicant is aware none have provided releasably attachable handles which, when in erect transverse position, supports the canopy for normal use and, when in released collapsed position, supports the canopy in a suspended manner.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a canopy assembly employing a novel dual attachment means for the handle thereof to thereby facilitate normal use and portability at other times, respectively.

It is another object of invention to provide a canopy construction in which a concavo-convex cover member is eccentrically and releasably supported by a transverse concavo-convex handle member in such a manner that the concave surfaces of the members combine to afford additional vertical and lateral room for the user beneath the canopy.

It is a further object of invention to provide a canopy construction of the class described in which the concavoconvex handle members are telescopically and slidably mounted upon the canopy from an erect transverse position to a collapsed substantially parallel position.

It is yet another object of invention to provide a canopy assembly which is economical to manufacture, of minimum practical size for use in crowds, efficient in operation, and capable of easy and quick conversion from erect to collapsed position.

Some of the objects of invention having been stated, other objects will appear as the description proceeds when ice taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation of my canopy assembly, showing the handle thereof in erect position;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged sectional detail view taken along line 22 in FIGURE 1, showing the connection between the canopy and handle;

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view through the assembly of FIGURE 1, but showing the handle thereof in collapsed confined position;

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view through a modified form of the invention, showing the handle thereof in erect position;

FIGURE 5 is a sectional detail view taken along line 55 in FIGURE 4, showing another type of connection between the canopy and handle;

FIGURE 6 is a plan view of the canopy of FIGURE 4, but showing the handle thereof in confined collapsed position;

FIGURE 7 is a sectional detail view taken along line 77 in FIGURE 6;

FIGURE 8 is a sectional view through another form of the invention, showing the handle thereof in bold-line erect and in dotted-line collapsed positions, and

FIGURE 9 is a sectional detail view taken along line 99 in FIGURE 8.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the numeral 10 denotes a pre-formed concavo-convex cover or canopy made from suitable materials such as wood, plastic, cardboard or water-proofed paper, said canopy having a bracket 11 eccentrically secured to its concave face 10a by any suitable means as by adhesive or by staples 12. Bracket 11 cooperates with face 10a to form an elongated triangular socket or opening 14 which is adapted to releasably receive a similarly shaped handle end portion 15 integral with a concavo-convex handle shank portion 16 (FIGURES l and 2). The opposite or lower end of shank portion 16 has a flexible loop of cord 17 secured thereto through which the users hand may be inserted while gripping the shank.

It will be observed from FIGURE 1 that the concave surfaces 10a and 16a of canopy 10 and of shank portion 16 respectively bulge upwardly and laterally relative to one another and at an obtuse angle having its vertex at the point of attachment of the canopy to the handle whereby the complementary concave surfaces will provide additional head space for the user beneath the canopy. It will be further noted that the curvature of members 10 and 16 is approximately the same so that the assembly occupies a minimum space when the handle is collapsed as shown in FIGURE 3.

To convert the assembly from erect to collapsed position, the hande end portion is withdrawn from opening 14, and then the handle is reversed to permit the shank portion 16 to be passed through the opening until handle portion 16a is positioned substantially parallel to canopy surface 10a; and finally, the looped cord 17 is passed through an opening 18 in the canopy 10 as shown in FIGURE 3. Shank portion 16 has a smaller cross-sectional area than that of triangular end portion 15 and, therefore will fit loosely within opening 14 when in collapsed position.

FIGURES 4 through 7 illustrate another form of the invention comprising a canopy 25 having a flat bottom 26 integral with a downturned annular rim 27, said bottom having a bracket 28 secured thereto by means of adhesive or by staples 29. The bracket 28 and bottom 26 cooperate to form an elongated frusto-pyrarnidal opening 30 into which a similarly shaped handle end portion 31 is adapted to be releasably wedged (FIGURES 4 and 5) to hold the assembly in erected position. Frustopyramidal end portion 31 has one end of a curved shank portion 32 extending from its smaller end, the latter end being of larger cross-section than that of portion 32. The other end of shank portion 32 has integral therewith a straight shank portion 33 which, in turn, has an enlarged handle or knob 34 on its lower end. In order to facilitate the assembly of restricted handle portions 32 and 33 in opening 30 of bracket 28, the end portion 31 may be detachably secured to portion 31 as at 31a.

It will be observed that the handle portions 31 through 34 occupy substantially the same plane and may be collapsed in a position parallel to bottom 26 as shown in FIGURES 6 and 7, at which time an elastic band 37 confines one end of the handle while bracket 28 confines the other. Band 37 is secured to the face of bottom 26 by any suitable means such as staples 38. Since the flat side of knob 34 is held against bottom 26 by bracket 28, the other handle portions 31 and 32 cannot rotate and therefore will be held against the bottom as shown in FIG- URE 7.

FIGURES 8 and 9 illustrate still another form of the invention which is similar to the form shown in FIG URES 4 through 7 and wherein a concavo-convex canopy 40 has a frusto-pyramidal handle end portion 31 attached thereto by means of bracket 28 in a manner previously described. Portion 31 has integral therewith one end of a downwardly extending concave-convex restricted shank portion 41, said shank portion having a knob or grip 42 on its lower end. As in the preceding form, the handle is confined in bracket 28 by the enlarged portions 31 and 42 at opposite ends thereof, respectively; and movable from erect bold-line position to dotted-line collapsed position without detaching the handle.

In the drawings and specification there have been disclosed preferred forms of the invention, and although specific term are employed these are used in a generic sense and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of invention being defined in the following claims:

I claim:

1. In a canopy assembly comprising a cover member and an elongated supporting member extending transversely from an eccentrically disposed point on said cover member, means for releasably securing the proximate end of said supporting member to said cover member, said means including a polygonal socket on one of said members and a correspondingly polygonal projection on the other and axially insertable in said socket, and means including said last-named means for confining the released supporting member in collapsed position alongside the cover member.

2. A canopy assembly as defined in claim 1 wherein said socket and projection are each frusto-pyramidal in shape.

3. A canopy assembly as defined in claim 2 wherein the intermediate portion of said supporting member is secured to and has a smaller cross-sectional area than the smaller end of said frusto-pyramidal projection, said intermediate portion being axially movable within said socket when shifting the supporting member from released to collapsed position.

4. A canopy assembly as defined in claim 3 and further comprising means on the other end of said supporting member for axially limiting movement of the latter toward collapsed position.

5. A canopy assembly comprising a concavo-convex cover member, a concavo-convex handle member, means for releasably and eccentrically attaching one end of said handle member to said cover member, the concave sides of the respective members being substantially continuations of one another and disposed at an obtuse angle having its vertex at said point of attachment whereby the complementary concave sides of the cover and handle members will provide vertical and lateral head space beneath the cover member, and means including said releasable attaching means for releasably confining said concave-convex members in substantially parallel collapsed-positions.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,715,322 5/1929 Foster 20 X 2,496,501 2/1950 Staunton et al. 135-20 2,563,353 8/1951 Mueller et a1. 135l9.5 2,757,679 8/1956 Rivkin et a1. 13520 KENNETH DOWNEY, Primary Examiner.

U.S. Cl. X.R. 13520, 46 

